Sisyphus

[Scratch 0]

Well said Skyhawk.
I stated in a post months ago that I had issues with countries accepting 'help' from the US. There is always the "What is in it for us" angle.
Quade(I think) said it when he stated that the US is a capitalist nation and they act that way. I liked that, he was being honest.
The world as a rule is not grateful for US help, solicited or not. They have no need to be. They pay for it just like you pay for your beers.
On a personal note before I get burned at the stake. The Americans that I have met have been open, big hearted and honest people. It has been a privilage to know most of them ( The odd asshole excluded).
Unfortunately from my viewpoint of the world ( The ass end) their international politcs can best be described as "Morally corrupt or hypocritical"
Oh and Dave. When I quoted those WW2 stats I was not thinking along the lines of political agendas. I was thinking about the people dying in the streets and trenches. They have no care of politics but they know suffering.

Every day above ground is a good day.

[wndrer73 0]

Always interesting to read political/philosophical discussions at 2 AM!!! ;-) This is a great topic and although I have nothing more to contribute than what has been said already, I would like to make one unrelated point:

Quote

we have more to learn from Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Mandela than Roosevelt, Churchill or Stalin.

Okay, as someone who was born in India, i get really annoyed when an Indian name is spelled as it is pronounced in the Western world... His name was "Gandhi", not "Ghandi"... that's all. Sorry for the interruption - please continue your discussion, i'm having a great time reading it!!!
"Welcome to the sky!" -- My video/photographer, after my second tandem jump

[skreamer 1]

Well said both of you (geeze, scratch and skyhawk making sense, no shit!)
While there are some US policies I don't agree with, I too must say that my impressions on my 4 visits to the states have always been favourable. Good service, good food, friendly people and of course the dropzones have awesome lift capacity, weather, facilities etc. My sister and brother in law have settled in really well in San Francisco and absolutely love it there. People in the rest of the world need to bear in mind that it is a big country (geographically and in population) - making generalizations about 240 million people is pretty stupid, people and attitudes vary drastically from region to region.
That said, what I saw in the Vegas 'eat as much as you can' hotel buffets scarred me for life!!
Will
PS 1 out of 5 people in the UK is obese, so the poms aren't that far behind the yanks in the Fat Bastard stakes anymore (and at least the americans know how to use a toothbrush....)
"Look before you jump, don't die until you're dead"

[billvon 3,116]

>On a personal note before I get burned at the stake. The Americans that I have
>met have been open, big hearted and honest people. It has been a privilage to
> know most of them.
This has been true nearly everywhere I've gone, with the possible exceptions of Heidelburg and Des Moines. But France, where everyone warned me the people would be really rude - no problems. Spain, where we would venture into towns that supposedly didn't like americans - no problems either. Even in China, the people we actually met were great. Sure, the government was a pain in the butt, but the people went out of their way to be friendly to us.
This is one of the reasons that I have high hopes for the future. People really are basically decent when you meet them in person.
-bill von

[billvon 3,116]

Today's contradiction:
Bush, in a speech to VMI:
"Wherever global terrorism threatens the civilized world, we and our friends and allies will respond, and respond decisively . . . We're hunting down the killers one by one."
Bush, on the Middle East:
"Israel must continue its withdrawal . . .The time is now for all to make the choice for peace."
And the quote of the day, after the US showed immediate acceptance of the 2-day reign of the "revolutionary" government in Venezuela:
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd(D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, said he was "extremely disappointed" in the administration's response to the coup.
He acknowledged that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell was preoccupied with the Middle East crisis but added, "I would hope that in the future there would be more adult supervision of the policy formulation."
-bill von

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

People really are basically decent when you meet them in person

Mostly true everywhere I have been. The one exception would be Cairo, Egypt. It seems that every "native" I met there was just trying to make a buck. *shrug* been that way for 1,000's of years I suppose. Big cities people are a bit less friendly in any country. Mainly...people are just people regardless of culture. Just make sure when travelling that you find out about at least some of the local customs. Don't want to give someone in the middle east a thumbs up or bring a russian girl the wrong color or number of flowers...LOL
"It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[Muenkel 0]

Quote

It seems that every "native" I met there was just trying to make a buck.

And this is different from America, how?
Skydivers...they're just plain cool!
Chris

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

And this is different from America, how?

Trust me....walk out of a hotel in Cairo some time. You'll see.."It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[Muenkel 0]

Quote

Trust me....walk out of a hotel in Cairo some time. You'll see..

I think I'll wait until they enter the 21st Century.
Skydivers...they're just plain cool!
Chris